The haze from Indonesian forest fires has begun to clear in Malaysia's northern states and in Borneo island in the east, but shifting winds have sent it over neighbouring Thailand, officials said today.

"There is less haze in the north due to an easterly wind. The haze appears to be shifting towards the north, to southern Thailand," said a forecasting officer with the meteorological services department.

The air pollution index (API) at Miri in Sarawak, dipped to a "moderate" reading of 75 today compared to an "unhealthy" 116 yesterday.

Smoke and dust there was being blown over from peat fires raging on Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo island.

The index also improved in Perlis, from 83 to 61, according to the environment department.

"There is still a slight haze, but depending on the wind direction and the number of hotspots in Sumatra, an improvement is possible soon," the forecasting official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Situation likely to improve

He said the haze is also likely to improve, with some showers due later today and a rainy spell expected later this week.

Malaysia declared a state of emergency last Thursday in two towns on the west coast which have borne the brunt of the smoke from Indonesia's Sumatra island, which is separated from peninsular Malaysia by the narrow Malacca Strait.

The emergency was lifted at the weekend as heavy rains and shifting winds helped clear the haze from the central region around the capital Kuala Lumpur, blowing the smoke and dust towards northern Malaysia instead.

An "unhealthy" API is anything between 101 and 200. An API above 300 is considered hazardous and 500 triggers a state of emergency.

Haze is an annual problem in Malaysia, and the worst-ever bout, in 1997 and 1998, cost Southeast Asia an estimated US$9 billion in damages by disrupting air travel and other business activities.

A team of 125 Malaysian firefighters departed for Sumatra island on Monday to battle the blazes, after a delay which the government blamed on Indonesian bureaucracy.

Singapore said Tuesday it would send a military plane to help Indonesia fight the fires.